New Defenders Trailer More Helpful Than You Think

Well, it’s a been a while since any updates have been made to my geeky side of the world. Life and work have taken their toll on my availability, it happens. Still, it’s okay to dive right in and see what the latest and greatest things are that are shaking in the world of pop culture.

As you might expect, over the last twenty-four one new trailer is dominating talking points in a lot of circles. That would be the newest trailer for the Marvel Netflix series “The Defenders.” Take a look:

At first glance, the sixteen second spot seems a bit on the boring side. After all, seeing all four characters standing together in an elevator with Danny looking a bit more worse for the wear BTW, is really nothing special. Luckily, the folks at Fnga Bang have dissected the trailer and uncovered a few Easter Eggs. Here’s a look at the break down:

I don’t want to steal their thunder and credit where credit is due, but like most of the Marvel fan population, a lot of those hidden gems were right there in your face. Still, lots of folks likely missed them the first or even the second time around. The real important one is probably the expected release date of 8/18/2017, because that means “The Defenders” will be dropping during those hot August nights where most of us just want to curl up with a blanket and the AC blasting with some popcorn, Butterfingers, and a Coke. (Okay, maybe that’s just me, but you can’t blame a guy).

I’m excited for “The Defenders” on a few levels: Four interesting characters, a villain from the off-the-page world, setting up a larger world.

Four Interesting Characters

Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones really do make quite the team. Each character has seen their individual Netflix series received with a fair bit of acclaim and even a touch of criticism. Yes, Iron Fist was a bit slow, Luke Cage was a bit uneven, etc, etc. Seeing these four interact, and probably especially how they meet should be pretty entertaining.

An Off-the-Page Villain

While The Hand will probably pop up with several ninjas (or is it just ninja for plural?) for the characters to do some fighting with, news of Sigourney Weaver will be playing Alexandra, the main villain of the series. Since Alexandra is not a Marvel villain, this off-the page concept is a bit on the daring side as Netflix is going with something that is an unproven commodity. How’s it going to work? Who knows, but this could be magic, as Weaver’s reputation precedes her, I know I’m expecting something great.

Setting Up the Larger World

The Netflix world of Marvel characters is set to expand with “The Punisher” series later this year as well, and with characters getting their own series after appearances in other Netflix series, the “network” has proven to be a launching pad of entertainment. I look at Netflix as the first real live-action comic book publisher. I think of “The Defenders” as an 8-issue limited series from a larger line of products. After all, it all started with comics, so it might just launch some additional stories.

All the positive set aside, there are a few reasons to be nervous about “The Defenders” as well: that villain, the length, and how big can the world really get?

The Villain

Yep, excited and nervous about anything that has not been established (in some form or another) on the comic book page. Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s something else, I’m not sure. One thing I do know from just about every form of entertainment imaginable is that a property is only as good as the villain. That hangs quite a bit of responsibility on the writers of the show to really do it some justice.

The Length

Eight episodes is not a lot of time. With four great characters, one new villain, and hopefully some great deep storylines, there is A LOT that is going to be packed into “The Defenders.” With so many faces needing to chew up some screen time, this could be a competition more than a show. Directors and writers are going to have to make sure everyone has just enough to do without shadowing everyone else.

How Far is Netflix Willing to Go?

I often wonder about just how far Netflix is willing to go with these Marvel properties. You could say that the company has been successfully mining the C-List of characters for a few years. Sorry fans, Daredevil and Frank Miller were brilliant, but the character has had more valleys than peaks. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist are all great characters, but aside from outworldly geeks like myself (and no doubt several of you reading this right now) the characters were largely a mystery before their Netflix bows. So I ask Marvel and Netflix, who or what is next, because the big screen is going to be packed with Avengers and Guardians over the next few years. That’s a lot of A-List (and B-List) characters shaking up the world (quite literally in a few cases), Netflix and Marvel seem committed to a darker grittier world than the unicorns and cotton candy at the box office, just how far are they willing to go?

So, “The Defenders” will be dropping this summer, it’ll be binged by millions of fans, it’ll be judged by thousands of them, it might work, it might not. With more than four months to go, more trailers are likely on the way. This is more of a pivotal point in the Marvel/Netflix partnership than many people realize, and there is a lot riding on the success (or failure) of this single series. I’m rooting for the show to be a runaway (see what I did there?) hit. Seems like the answer is not all that far way.

Classic Comic Book Cover of the Week: Star Wars #42 First Boba Fett

Star Wars Vol. 1 #42

A few years ago you could walk into just about any comic book shop and pick a bunch of the original Marvel Star Wars comic book run. Then, something tremendous happened, a new movie came out. A new comic series was released, and then another, and then another. Then another movie came out, and now another movie is due to come out. See the trend.

Star Wars is one of those entertainment properties that spans genres. Just about every type of memorabilia or collectible you could shake a stick at has some type of value. As far as comics book go the popularity of the original 1977 Marvel Comics series is pretty much unparalleled throughout all of the Star Wars books.

A few of the issues have experienced a tremendous uptick in price and demand, and one of those issues in particular is the first appearance of Boba Fett in Star Wars Vol. 1 #42. Granted, it’s not the first appearance of the famous bounty hunter, because he made his debut in “The Empire Strikes Back” in May of 1980 (that would be a movie ladies and gents) and wouldn’t grace the comic book world until December of that year. Still this issue has climbed into the $100 club, according to Comic Book Realm. Toss in a CGC grade and prices go further north from there.

With cover art by Carlos Garzon, the issue has become a hotly traded commodity among collectors. The white background is especially prone to yellowing and general discoloration issues, which makes higher grade copies very scarce. A quick look at the CGC population report reveals 737 versions in the 9.0 to 9.6 range, but only 167 in the 9.8 grade and there is even one with a ridiculous 9.9.  What that really means is there are a little over 900 copies of this book graded out at VF/NM. That’s actually pretty impressive. Please note that those totals include signed copies that have been slabbed with the yellow "Signature Series" plate.

The popularity of Boba Fett helps sell this book, because he is after all on the cover. The interest in bounty hunter with few actual lines in the movies has soared to heights for a lot of different reasons, and this is as close as collectors can get to one of the first real limited release collectibles of the character. There’s that equation again of popularity versus limited supply, which equals a higher price.

In the end though, it’s a cool cover that can have major condition issues, which is one reason why discerning collectors might be able to argue down a price or avoid a purchase altogether. That background and the white pages are key to solid investment grade book, anything else loses that 9.0 possibility for the most part.

The 1977 Star Wars Volume 1 is set to heat up the charts for years to come. In you or anyone you know is a fan of the Fett you should probably check this book out.

The Max Bemis Foolkiller Finally Makes the Reading Pile

It’s been a while since I talked about anything I was currently reading. Sadly, my reading list has been trimmed due to lack of free time. However, I’ve been enjoying and buying a number of titles. Tokyo Ghost has been a fave, Frostbite has been interesting, Walking Dead has been okay, and the usual staple of Detective Comics, Batman, Flash, etc have been interesting since Rebirth.

Foolkiller #1

The one book I’m going to focus on today is one that a lot of people have likely seen but maybe have not quite popped on, and that is the new Max Bemis written Foolkiller. Three issues in and the current incarnation of the Foolkiller is still a bit unsteady but enjoyable.

Hot off his appearance in Deadpool: Mercs for Money, the Greg Salinger Foolkiller has taken up evaluating villains for SHIELD and deciding whether or not they should be, uh, vigilanted? Okay, murdered. Given the rather questionable morals of Salinger, it’s pretty easy to say that most of the fools, err, patients simply don’t make the grade. And there are some colorful and creative patients at that.

Of course, there is a big hiccup in the process that is revealed when the 1990’s Foolkiller (that would be the third version of the character Kurt Gerhardt) becomes a patient. In issue #3 some things are brought to life and the zaniness really gets going.

Foolkiller #3

Bemis is doing okay by the history of the character, making keen references and such. The pencils by Dalibor Talajic is interesting and just crazy enough to make the book fun to read. The covers by Dave Johnson have been equally as great. It’s not George Perez, but then again, this isn’t exactly a hot selling character book either.

This version of Foolkiller is very different from the dark world of the 1990’s version and a bit more tame than the Marvel Max version that popped up in the 2000’s. No this is a bit more of a zany Deadpoolish take on the character, at least so far. Does it have impact? Well, probably not so much. It’s been fun though, and the throwbacks via covers and characters are pretty cool.

Bemis is doing his take on the character, and I’m going to see it through before I pass a final judgement on it. I’m enjoying it so far, because of the irony of an insane person acting as therapist. I mean, that alone is a pretty interesting Dexter type of swing. I have a feeling it’s only going to get darker and a little more crazy.

The verdict is pretty simple: if you like Deadpool or have fond memories of the Foolkiller, this probably a book you'll want to check out, but if you prefer your heroes a little more on the Captain America side, this is likely a pass. Long-term investment potential is likely minimal, which makes it a work of passion.

Comic Books You Need to Own: The Infinity Gauntlet #1

The Infinity Gauntlet #1

Comic book crossovers can be a tedious thing. Picking up a number of issues of series that you normally would not just to continue a story is a way that companies try to expose different characters to a new audience. One of the most interesting methods to compliment this strategy is to offer a limited series in a stand alone title with a number of adventures or tie-ins offered in other books.

Without a doubt, one of the most popular limited series of the past few decades features Thanos, Silver Surfer, Mephisto, and several other Marvel characters fighting over a glove. What? That’s right, this week’s edition of Comic Books You Need to Own centers on The Infinity Gauntlet #1. This was already one of the hottest back issues of 2016 and it will likely continue that run into this year.

Admittedly this one features one of my favorite openings of any comic book in the history of comic books. However, this book is the first adventure of all the characters in the Marvel Universe banding together to fight off the threat of the Infinity Gauntlet, and it was a pretty deal then.

Now with “Avengers: Infinity War” coming to theaters in the next few years, fans have caught on to just how important this series is. It’s already difficult to find, and will likely become impossible to find. With a current value of $35, according to Comic Book Realm, the first issue is this series (with art from the legendary George Perez BTW) is pretty much the most valuable in the run. The cover is pretty amazing as well featuring a number of Marvel heavies.

Infinity Gauntlet #1 was released in 1991, and the entire series has been available a few times in trade paperback form which is a great way to experience the story, but there is nothing like owning the original. It can still be found for $10 or so occasionally, but those are rare instances. Plus, with Thanos and company making appearances in the Marvel films, this book will likely join the $50 club before the end of the year.

The interesting thing with this issue is the two part formula being used for the film. This will be the first big time two-part comic book movie release, which means things that pop up in the first part might just skyrocket in value prior to the second installment of the film. It’s always hard to say about value, but this is one comic book that is loaded with potential and ready to climb quickly in value.

All the ingredients are here: great art, great writing, fabulous characters, decent opening value, etc. This is one comic book that belongs in everyone’s collection, and it might just be the crown jewel of the collection one day.

A Look Ahead at 2017: Five Comic Books with Impressive Upsides in the Coming Year

New Warriors #1 (first printing)

Looking ahead is always a difficult task. Nobody really knows what will happen. Those words ring pretty much true regardless of which industry anyone is talking about. The comic book world and the world of investing in those ultra-cool colorful pieces of awesomeness is really no different. After all, if anyone had a crystal ball, those would be the chosen few knowing far in advance what books were going to be hot.

The coming year holds A LOT of comic book movies and television shows, and a whole lot of promise. Pop culture has an enormous impact on the comic books world, because popularity drives demand, which turn drives price. Scarcity matters too, but in the end, it’s all about what people want. The big books will always be hot, those comic book gold mines, but with the year just beginning to unfold, here are five issues you will want to keep your eyes out for at your local comic shop.

New Warriors #1

What? Really? Yep, with a television show from ABC in the works (an animated comedy it looks like), the upside to this already difficult to find 1990 series is actually pretty positive. There are even two printings to chase to make it a little more attainable, but either one is a buy rated title at the $5 and under level.

DMZ #1

Yep, another title with a television show in the works. DMZ #1 currently sits with a $4 value on Comic Book Realm, but that value could change drastically with the fortunes of the series. In any case, with suck a low purchase price the upside of finding it in dollar bins is increased, which means the chances of it vanishing quickly and reappearing with ten dollar plus tag is extremely likely.

The Question #17

With another cryptic television show announcement, DC has ignited the collecting world on fire. The Watchmen has already gained some pretty serious traction thanks to some interesting rebirth tie-ins, but The Question #17 features the first inclusion of Rorschach into the mainstream DC Universe. Already a $15 book, look for interest and prices to climb as the year and Rebirth storylines continue to heat up.

Uncanny X-Men#267

First appearances are always a hot commodity, and Uncanny #266 is already a high priced book thanks to the first appearance of Gambit. The second appearance of Gambit occurs one issue later in #267 (this all goes against the whole annual first artwork of Gambit BTW). This particular issue has a great chance of getting boosted to the $15 or $25 level with the inclusion of the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie centered around the character could really bump up the value, and it probably will.

Anything with X-23 in the Title

X-23 will be in the new Wolverine movie, and the early trailer received some pretty good reviews, which means may collectors are jumping all over X-23 books. It simply does not matter which ones these days, because everything with the character is seeing a boost. Since she was already featured in one, two, what is it now? Three or four video games?, X-23 is moving closer to Deadpool status by selling simply with an appearance. If you see any of these priced sub-five bucks, pick them up, you’ll likely not get a chance again at that price point.

So again, 2017 looks like another year where pop culture will influence the price of comic books. It’s not a real surprise since popularity is tied directly to price, but with so many great comics being printed each and every month, taking a few minutes to look at what your LCBS has priced in the dollar bin or below can really make a staggering impact on your collection. These can be some of the best books with regards to turn around or flip value.

Classic Comic Book Cover of the Week: Silver Surfer #45 Thanos & Mesphisto

Silver Surfer Vol. 3 #45

When it comes to comic book covers, the villains like to sneak in and steal the spotlight on occasion. While not a regular type of deal, because the heroes generally take center stage in their own books, sometimes the bad guys can have some seriously fun times when they jump to the front of the comic book. The Silver Surfer has some pretty powerful villains, which is necessary to balance out those terribly awesome powers of his. It does not take the power cosmic to find one of the coolest covers in the entire series.

The cover of Silver Surfer Volume 3 #45 features two of the most powerful bad guys in the entire Marvel Universe: Thanos and Mephisto along with the tag line "The Boys Are Back." The issue sets up one of the most legendary partnerships (and dangerous betrayals) in comic book history. This is one of my personal top ten covers of all time. The Ron Lim & Tom Christopher cover is simply epic in every sort of way, and the two characters look pretty much as bad ass as possible.

On the value side, Comic Book Realm lists this gem at $10, which makes it a solid investment. #44 is the first appearance of the Infinity Gauntlet and has climbed to the $50 level. After "The Thanos Quest" graphic novels, this story line is one of the most important leading up to the hugely popular original Infinity Gauntlet six-issue limited series.

If you are wondering about the volume 3 designation, don't be fooled. Volume 1 of Silver Surfer is a twenty issue Silver Age series that ran from 1968 to 1970, and Volume 2 consists of a single issue from 1982. This Copper Age (1984-1991 or even 1992) series runs 165 issues from 1987 to 1998, and is probably the best well-known of the entire run. A lot of good things happened for the Surfer in this series, and getting Ron Lim and company on board was probably one of the most important.

This book can still be found in the five dollar bins of comic book stores everywhere and can occasionally be found online for a nice deal as well. It is one of the coolest wall books out there, and really no collection is complete without some sort of villain presence. How can you go wrong with Thanos and Mephisto? (BTW Mephisto doesn't seem to make cover appearances a whole lot these days, hmmm)

Comic Books You Need to Own: X-Force #2 the Second Deadpool

X-Force Vol. 1 #2 Second Deadpool

In the world of comic books, first appearances are pretty important. When a character like Deadpool bursts onto the scene, like he did in New Mutants #98, the values can be a little tricky in the early going. Of course, many collectors already know what happened with the value of a comic often referred to as simply 98.

The secondary price pretty much exploded upwards of $300, according to Comic Book Realm and my own personal experience.

While the first appearance is nothing to shake a stick at, there is another more easily and more affordable option for early Deadpool appearances. In X-Force #2 the Merc with the Mouth makes his second appearance. Since the movie and the boom of Deadpool appearances has pretty much gone off the deep end these days, finding a copy in decent condition sitting in the dollar bins has faded away. However, that chance is still there.

The fact is: All early Deadpool appearances are constantly moving forward. At Let You Geek Show a few of us would love to say that this is a fad and it's not going to last; however, a few of us feel much differently about that Spider-Man/Deathstroke hybrid (call him what you want but that's the fact of things). The second appearance can command prices in the five to ten dollar range. Slabbed with that CGC seal X-Force #2 can easily garner $60-$70 dollars (which is technically probably not worth the investment into the slab).

With the first appearance quickly and not so quietly leaving the price range of the average collector (not to mention the average teenager), a lot of eyes have been moving toward the second and still early appearance. Deadpool is on the cover, not particularly well represented being on his back and all, but an early DP is an early DP. The upside of this book is pretty positive. Will it climb to the $50 level anytime soon? Probably not, but it's a buy at $5 and probably even approaching $8 right now.

As the popularity of the character continues to climb and new hobbyists continue to start grabbing issues, X-Force #2 represents what every collector probably dreams of (most of them anyway)--a solid chance at a book that has a nice shot at climbing in value and demand.

Really, you can't ask for a whole lot more than that. With a popular character, you can't miss a shot at any second appearance because they can heat up on a moment's notice.

Classic Comic Book Cover of the Week: Amazing Spider-Man #55

There are legendary comic book covers and there is Amazing Spider-Man #55. The ultra-cool cover drawn by legendary artists John Romita Sr. features Doctor Octopus reflecting dual Spider-Man images (being attacked with those mechanical arms) is one of the most popular affordable early versions of the ASM lineup.

The 12-cent cover price is amplified by the long ago print date of December 1967, and Comic Book Realm lists available copies in the $300 range. Of course, these can usually be picked up with a lower grade for under $30, which is a steal for any sub-100 ASM. This is one of those covers that just looks great on the wall.

From an investment upside potential, there really isn't much here. Amazing Spider-Man #55 is the third part of the Doc Ock Wins! storyline (it's even right there on the cover) written by some guy named Stan Lee. However, it lacks any real significance with regards to first appearances, majestic revelations, or traumatic events.

From that standpoint, the only real thing this comic has working for it is the awesome cover and it's relatively low print run (likely under 80,000 copies at the time) and modern day scarcity. So follow that up after nearly fifty years of life, and there are probably just not too many of these running around. John Romita Sr. has a certain amount of appeal to fans of all ages, which makes it a really cool hard to find collectors issue.

All things considered, this is a cover that sticks with you thanks to the expression on Doc Ock's face and the great reflection idea. Long before the villain managed to land inside the head of Peter Parker in the Superior Spider-Man series, he was a mainstay of the classic ASM series. This is one comic that fits the ideal of a classic in just about every imaginable way.